Merchandising displays, and more particularly, point of purchase displays, are well known for retailing products. Such merchandising displays or racks are also well known for use adjacent checkout counters of grocery stores, supermarkets and the like for the display and merchandising of beverages, snack items and the like. The items displayed thereon are usually of the variety which requires no refrigeration.
Another newer type of merchandising display now also in use adjacent checkout counters includes means for refrigerating the products displayed therein. Such refrigerated displays or so-called showcases have taken many forms, some of which include chest-type open refrigerators, and upright refrigerators or cooling cases having a series of shelves therein and either an open front or a glass-covered front for displaying products therein. Such showcases are useful for displaying, for example, beverages, dairy products, and various types of frozen foods.
Another type of merchandising display employed in supermarkets and the like is the so-called "salad bar island". Such a display is typically employed to display refrigerated salad items from which a customer can pick and choose as desired. The items are selected from the salad bar island and are placed into a container which is weighed at the checkout station of the supermarket and priced accordingly.
Still another type of display employed in the larger supermarkets is a deli-type display. Such a display is generally employed in conjunction with the deli department of a large supermarket wherein various deli meat items, cheeses, salads and other prepared foods are chilled and displayed for retail sale. The various items are selected by the customer, are weighed by the deli attendant, and are paid for at the checkout aisle of the supermarket.
A criticism of the numerous aforementioned displays, and particularly the salad bar island-type display and deli-type display, is that a customer must make a specific trip to these displays which are generally located in specific peripheral areas of the supermarket. Specifically, a customer wishing to pick up a salad or a deli item from the salad bar island or the deli, respectively, in conjunction with his normal shopping list of items, cannot just simply retrieve those desired shopping list items and handily and quickly pick up that desired salad or deli item as he walks to the checkout aisle. The customer must make a specific detour to the peripheral area within the large supermarket to obtain these additional items.
Studies nave indicated that a very large percentage of the traffic through the larger supermarkets is through the so-called "express" lanes. Such express lanes are utilized for customers having a small quantity of items, for example, 8-12, and generally cash is required for the purchases. Such express lanes facilitate quick shopping trips for those customers who have only a few items to purchase. Normally such customers forego side trips to the supermarket's deli and salad bar as requiring too much time.
It has therefore been one objective of the present invention to eliminate the need for a supermarket customer to make a specific detour or trip within the supermarket to select salad bar items or deli items in conjunction with the more traditional supermarket items purchased.
It has been another objective of the present invention to provide the capability of merchandising chilled or refrigerated items such as salad bar type and deli type items to such an express lane customer, which customer is purchasing a small quantity of items and is utilizing the express lane checkout of the supermarket in order to facilitate a more speedy shopping trip.